The letter Raa(ر) alternates between Tafkheem and Tarqeeq according to the harakah (vowel) on it or before it if it carries a sukoon.

Raa(ر) is Tarqeeq – Light:

1. When the letter Raa(ر) carries a Kasrah[ ِ].
   e.g: يُرِيدُ ، كَرِيمٍ
2. When the letter Raa(ر) carries a Sukoon[ ْ] and the letter before it carries a Kasrah[ ِ] and the letter after it is NOT a heavy letter in the group (خص ضغط قظ).
   e.g: فِرْعَوْنَ ، يَغْفِرْ
3. When stopping on the letter Raa(ر) and there is a yaa saakin[ىْ] before it.
   e.g: قَدِيرٌ ، حَسِيٌر
4. When stopping on the letter Raa(ر) and there is a sukoon[ ْ] before it and the letter before the Sukoon[ ْ] carries a kasrah[ ِ].
   e.g: ذِكْرٌ، حِجْرٌ

Note: When you stop on a word either at the end of an ayah or within an ayah during recitation, you apply the stop rule.

Raa(ر) is Tafkheem – heavy:

1. When the letter Raa(ر) carries a fathah[ َ].
   e.g: رَبَّنَا ، رَمَضَانَ
2. When the letter Raa(ر) carries a dhammah[ ُ].
   e.g: رُزِقْنَا ، كَفَرُواْ
3. When the letter Raa(ر) carries a sukoon[ ْ] and the letter before it carries a Fathah[ َ ].
   e.g: خَرْدَلٍ ، مَرْقَدِنَا
4. When the letter Raa(ر) carries a sukoon[ ْ] and the letter before it carries a dhammah[ ُ ].
   e.g: غُرْفَةً ، الْقُرْآنَ
5. When stopping on the letter Raa(ر) and the letter before it is an alif madd[ا َ] (a letter carrying a fathah followed by an alif, which is usually empty or saakin).
   e.g: النَّار ، الْقَهَّار
6. When stopping on the letter Raa(ر) and the letter before it is a waw madd[و ُ] (a letter carrying dhammah followed by a waw, which is usually empty or saakin).
   e.g: الْغَفُور ، الصُّدُر
7. When the letter Raa(ر) carries a sukoon[ ْ] and the letter before it is hamzatul wasl[] otherwise know as connecting hamzah.
   e.g: إِنِ رْتَبْتُمْ ، رْجِعُوا
8. When the letter Raa(ر) carries a Sukoon[ ْ] and there is Kasrah[ ِ] before it and the letter after it is a heavy letter carrying fathah[ َ] or dhammah[ ُ] in the group (خص ضغط قظ).
   e.g: مِرْصَادًا ، قِرْطَاسٍ

Posts in the series....

1. The rule of Raa(ر) (This post)
2. The rule of Laam (ل )
3. Tafkheem and Tarqeeq
4. Learning Quran with Tajweed
5. Prostration of Recitation
6. Saying the Name of Allah (Al-Basmalah)
7. Seeking refuge with Allah (Al-Istiaadha)
8. Sifaat associated with each of the Arabic letters.
9. Explanation of the Sifaat of the Arabic letters
10. Sifaat – Characteristics of the Arabic letters
11. Exact point of articulation of the Arabic letters
12. The 17 Specific Makhraj
13. The five points of articulation
14. Tajweed - Introduction
15. Tajweed ul Quran, So far so good

As mentioned previously Laam(ل)alternates between Tafkheem and Tarqeeq. Laam(ل) is usually pronounced with Tarqeeq, that is, pronounced with lowness of the back of the tongue during pronunciation, which makes Laam(ل) a light letter. But it alternates between heavy and light letter in pronunciation when it occurs in the divine name of Allah(الله) only in the following condition.

Laam(ل) is Tarqeeq – Light :

1. If the letter before the Laam(ل) in the divine name of Allah
   (الله) carries a kasrah[ ِ] then Laam(ل) is pronounced with lightness, which makes the Laam(ل) in the divine of Allah(الله) Tarqeeq.
   e.g:اَلحَمْدُ ِللهِ ، بِسْمِ اللهِ
2. If the letter before the Laam(ل) in the divine name of Allah(الله) is yaa saakin[ىْ] then Laam(ل) is pronounced with lightness, which makes the Laam(ل) in the divine of Allah(الله) Tarqeeq.
   e.g:فِي اللهِ ، مُعْجِزِى اللهِ

Laam(ل) is Tafkheem – heavy:

1. If the letter before the Laam(ل) in the divine name of Allah(الله) is Fathah[ َ ] then Laam is pronounced with heaviness, which makes the Laam(ل) in the divine of Allah(الله) Tafkheem.
   e.g: قَالَ اللهُ ، اِنَّ اللهَ
2. If the letter before the Laam(ل) in the divine name of Allah(الله) is dhammah[ُ ] then Laam is pronounced with heaviness, which makes the Laam(ل) in the divine of Allah (الله) Tafkheem.
   e.g: رَسُولُ اللهِ ، عَبْدُ اللهِ
3. If the letter before the Laam(ل) in the divine name of Allah(الله) is waaw saakin[وْ] then Laam is pronounced with heaviness, which makes the Laam(ل) in the divine of Allah(الله) Tafkheem.
   e.g: وَاتَّقُواْ اللهَ ، قَلُوا اللَّهُمَّ
4. If starting with the divine name of Allah(الله) at the beginning of recitation or after a stop then Laam(ل) is pronounced with heaviness, which makes the Laam(ل) in the divine of Allah(الله) Tafkheem.
   e.g: اللهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ، اللهُ لاَ إِلَهَ الَّا هُوَ

Posts in the series....

1. The rule of Raa(ر)
2. The rule of Laam (ل ) (This post)
3. Tafkheem and Tarqeeq
4. Learning Quran with Tajweed
5. Prostration of Recitation
6. Saying the Name of Allah (Al-Basmalah)
7. Seeking refuge with Allah (Al-Istiaadha)
8. Sifaat associated with each of the Arabic letters.
9. Explanation of the Sifaat of the Arabic letters
10. Sifaat – Characteristics of the Arabic letters
11. Exact point of articulation of the Arabic letters
12. The 17 Specific Makhraj
13. The five points of articulation
14. Tajweed - Introduction
15. Tajweed ul Quran, So far so good

اَلتَّفْخِيمُ (Tafkheem) – Heavy letters

These are letters with the quality of Elevation (Al-Istia’la)الأستعلاءwhen articulated from the correct Makhraj or point of articulation as explained in the section Makhraj and Sifaat. The heavy letters retains the quality of heaviness either with long or short vowels. There are seven heavy letters namely. خص ضغط قظ Out of these seven letters, four are heaviest because they have additional quality of Closing (Al-Itibaaq)الأطباق, these letters are ظ ط ص ض . The level of heaviness is also determined by the harakah accompanying it, the first one being the heaviest as follows:

1. The letter is heaviest when accompanied with fathah [ َ] followed my alif [ا ]e.g: خَلِدِينَ
2. When it is accompanied with Fathah [ َ] only e.g :قَدَّرَ
3. When it is accompanied with dammah [ ُ] eg:اَلْقُرْآنُ
4. When it is accompanied with Sukoon [ ْ] eg:إِخْرَاجُ
5. The least heavy is the one accompanied with Kasrah [ ِ] e.g:طِبَاقَا

اَلتَّرْقِيقُ (Tarqeeq) – light letters

These are the letters with the quality of lowness as opposed to elevation. It means all the letters not listed as Tafkheem is Tarqeeq with the exception of ل and ر which alternates between either of the characteristic depending on certain circumstance that will be explained later.
e.g: حَمَلَ، كُتِبَ ، اَلسَا خِدُونَ

The madd letter (long vowel) alif [ا] takes the quality of the letter before it. If it is heavy, the alif will be pronounced with Tafkheem and if light it is pronounced with Tarqeeq.
e.g: كَانَ ، قَالَ

Posts in the series....

1. The rule of Raa(ر)
2. The rule of Laam (ل )
3. Tafkheem and Tarqeeq (This post)
4. Learning Quran with Tajweed
5. Prostration of Recitation
6. Saying the Name of Allah (Al-Basmalah)
7. Seeking refuge with Allah (Al-Istiaadha)
8. Sifaat associated with each of the Arabic letters.
9. Explanation of the Sifaat of the Arabic letters
10. Sifaat – Characteristics of the Arabic letters
11. Exact point of articulation of the Arabic letters
12. The 17 Specific Makhraj
13. The five points of articulation
14. Tajweed - Introduction
15. Tajweed ul Quran, So far so good

Don’t depend on the people

Without placing your trust in Allah first

The least the people can do is maintain the status quo

Or create an obstacle in your path knowingly or unknowingly

Perhaps by Allah’s mercy they will help alleviate your situation

That is if they mean good for you and hope for reward from Allah

But some people prefer to profit from others’ misery

For that you can not depend on the people

Without placing your trust in Allah first

But if you depend on Allah alone

Allah is all encompassing of your situation

He will alleviate your troubles for you

Raise your status among the believers

Grant you even beyond what you ask of Him

For your patience and reliance on Him alone

Being patient is not being stupid

Have you forgotten that:

Inna Allah ma’a As-Saabirin

Truly! Allah is with the patient. Al-Baqarah (Q2:153)

Are you not aware that:

 If Allah helps you, none can overcome you,and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allah (Alone) let believers put their Trust. Al-Imran (Q3:160)

Alhamdulillah today is the 27th day of Ramadan, last night most mosques held a special Laylatul Qadr Qiyam. I have always made it a point to attend each year but I did not last night, I spent it at home praying by myself. May Allah accept all of our Ibadah and our Qiyam. So far, Ramadan for me has been as usual alright, fasting, praying and going to the mosque, nothing much out of the ordinary. May Allah make us witness the rest of the month and bestow us all with His endless Rahma in this month and beyond.

See the rest of this entry »

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah that when, the son of Adam recites the Ayah of Sajdah (prostration) and then falls down in prostration, the Satan goes into seclusion and weeps and says: Alas, and in the narration of Abu Kuraib the words are: Woe unto me, the son of Adam was commanded to prostrate, and he prostrated and Paradise was entitled to him and I was commanded to prostrate, but I refused and am doomed to Hell.
(Hadith Muslim Book 1, Hadith 144)

See the rest of this entry »

Posts in the series....

1. The rule of Raa(ر)
2. The rule of Laam (ل )
3. Tafkheem and Tarqeeq
4. Learning Quran with Tajweed
5. Prostration of Recitation (This post)
6. Saying the Name of Allah (Al-Basmalah)
7. Seeking refuge with Allah (Al-Istiaadha)
8. Sifaat associated with each of the Arabic letters.
9. Explanation of the Sifaat of the Arabic letters
10. Sifaat – Characteristics of the Arabic letters
11. Exact point of articulation of the Arabic letters
12. The 17 Specific Makhraj
13. The five points of articulation
14. Tajweed - Introduction
15. Tajweed ul Quran, So far so good

(Al-Basmalah)

Every surah of the Quran starts with Al-Basmalah, with the exception of Surah at-Tawbah, Q9. To say Al-Basmalah is to say:

In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

After seeking refuge in Allah by saying Al-Istiaadha, we then recite Al-Basmalah at the beginning of all the Surah except for Surah At-Tawbah, which does not begin with Al-Basmalah in the Quran. However, one can say Al-Basmalah in the middle of this Surah just as any of the other Surahs if one wishes to.

See the rest of this entry »

Posts in the series....

1. The rule of Raa(ر)
2. The rule of Laam (ل )
3. Tafkheem and Tarqeeq
4. Learning Quran with Tajweed
5. Prostration of Recitation
6. Saying the Name of Allah (Al-Basmalah) (This post)
7. Seeking refuge with Allah (Al-Istiaadha)
8. Sifaat associated with each of the Arabic letters.
9. Explanation of the Sifaat of the Arabic letters
10. Sifaat – Characteristics of the Arabic letters
11. Exact point of articulation of the Arabic letters
12. The 17 Specific Makhraj
13. The five points of articulation
14. Tajweed - Introduction
15. Tajweed ul Quran, So far so good